Institutions that make big money out of gambling – such as governments, casinos, clubs and pubs – are fond of telling us how much they care about problem gambling. Clubs Australia (the peak body for the…

Bookmaker Tom Waterhouse (centre) is the subject of a parliamentary inquiry as the infiltration of betting into professional sport continues.
AAP/Mick Tsikas3 avril 2013

Over the Easter weekend in Australia the furore around gambling and sport intensified. Prominent racehorse trainer Gai Waterhouse defended her son Tom’s gambling business in the tabloids, and legislation…

Evidence shows most people did not gamble away their carbon tax compensation, despite media claims at the time.
AAP5 février 2013

Like many policy issues in Australia, the public debate and media coverage on the relationship between government payments and spending at electronic gaming machines or ‘pokies’ is sensationalist and exaggerated…

AFL and NRL clubs say they face financial losses if punters like this are forced into a pre-commitment scheme.
AAP26 septembre 2011

The Federal Government’s plan to introduce pre-commitment systems on pokie machines in order to reduce problem gambling has become a major political headache. A campaign by Clubs Australia targeting Labor…

Less than half the respondents polled by ANU thought that gambling activities are advertised responsibly.
Flickr/Jeff Kubina28 juillet 2011

GAMBLING IN AUSTRALIA – Addiction to gaming machines (or “pokies”) is of growing concern in Australian society. In Victoria alone there are 30,000 of these hi-tech poker machines with many in suburban…

GAMBLING IN AUSTRALIA – How do pokies cause harm? People addicted to the pokies lose one hell of a lot of money. Because they lose one hell of a lot of money they do not eat well, get into debt, lose their…

When you know the numbers, things get a whole lot easier.
Roberto Bouza29 juin 2011

GAMBLING IN AUSTRALIA – Some say “punting is a mug’s game”. But is this always true, or can an astute gambler make long-term profits? Certainly not from casino games. Casinos make profits by paying less…

GAMBLING IN AUSTRALIA – Why do some people develop gambling addictions while others can dabble for years at the pokies or the track without issue? The Productivity Commission’s 2010 report on gambling…

Some sporting organisations have called for veto powers on “exotic” betting.
Joe Castro/AAPimage28 juin 2011

GAMBLING IN AUSTRALIA – Australians spend about $20 billion every year gambling. This level of expenditure is, according to The Economist, the highest in the world on a per capita basis. Some would argue…

Betting can be fun, but it’s not worth losing your shirt over.
William West/AFP27 juin 2011

GAMBLING IN AUSTRALIA – The idea that Australians love to gamble is so firmly established that we rarely pause to question it. This is true whether we picture Chinese and British “diggers” passing time…